IndustriaAvícola ❙ 13
expression perspective and disease management such
as viral and coccidiosis control."
First, it is crucial to identify what precision nutrition means for growers and how developing technologies will advance poultry production for maximum
efficiency and profitability.
Precision nutrition in action
Precision nutrition is defined as "the effective utilization of available feed resources with the aim of maximizing the animals' response to nutrients" by meeting
its precise nutritional requirements for optimum protein
production.
"The precision nutrition concept
is sustainable based on the minimum
nutrient offer to the animals, achieving
the right amount to respond to their potential genetics background," said Mario
Penz, Cargill poultry director. "To get
the best results from nutrition, there are
mandatory needs to be fulfilled, such as
feed production quality, uniform diets,
continuous pellet quality, farm biosecurity and healthy birds."
While holistic feed and farm management isn't new to poultry production,
advancements in supporting technologies are fast-tracking opportunities for
producers to better utilize the benefits of
precision nutrition.
Here are several areas where precision nutrition will enhance feeding strategies:
1
The role of NIR analysis
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) equipment utilizes light wavelengths to analyze the
nutrient composition of raw materials. NIRS measurements mitigate the economic losses of nutrient variability and allow poultry feed manufacturers to adjust
formulations accordingly.
"Rapid sample analysis allows nutritionists to
change their diet formulation, adjust ingredient safety
margins, and monitor feed mill efficiency by correlatJuly 2017 ❙ www.WATTAgNet.com
ing formulated diets to the actual diet nutrient value
- minimizing over- and under-formulating diets and
ensuring the birds receive adequate nutrition," said Dr.
Kendre Stringfellow, AB Vista's North American technical and sales manager.
Precise NIR measurements are used in conjunction
with available science-based nutrition data to enhance
a producer's feeding strategy.
2
New nutrient utilization
Advances in NIR technology have resulted
in a larger number of analyzed nutrients and
in the development of new nutrients, Cargill poultry
technology director Henk Enting said, citing the development of the Amino Acid Index Database for proteinrich raw materials.
"Depending on the quality of the protein-rich raw
material, the digestibility coefficients of amino acids
are changed so we have a more precise prediction of
the digestible amino acids in protein-rich raw materials," he says. "These new nutrients have been validated
by animal trials and result in a more precise formulation of our feeds. Also, fat quality can be analyzed
more precisely by NIR by incorporating, for example,
non-elutable matter."
3
Feeding for genetics
Similarities in gene expression between the two
primary genetics companies can be used as an
advantage when it comes to the precise feeding of chickens or "the ability to feed specific genes and deliver nutrients to those genes at the right time and in the right form."
"Today, we are fairly imprecise in how we feed nutrients - meaning diets are currently not determined
by gene changes; they are determined by nutritional
studies which are imprecise because we have great
variability in respect to genetics, conditions and ingredients," Connolly said, noting, for example, that
feeding additives on exact days for an exact duration
with the intent to make gene changes is the direction in
which the industry is moving going forward.
"Changes in gene expression will be critical for fertility, productivity and immunity," Connolly said.